For some time toy cars have been raced against each other to see which toy car is the fastest. In certain settings, the toy cars are placed on adjacent tracks, which enable the toy cars to simultaneously race against each other.
One such organized toy car racing competition is called the pinewood derby, which is typically participated in by youth such as through Cub Scouts or church groups. Person participating in these races design and then build their own cars that are thereafter used in the racing competition.
Each of the toy cars must weigh no more than five ounces and have several other characteristics that are set forth in the pinewood derby rules. The race cars are each formed by carving a block of wood into a desired shape and then the wheels are attached thereto. In some instances, weights may be added to the race car to get the weight as close as possible to five ounces.
The track used in conjunction with the pinewood derby races generally has between 2 and 8 lanes. The race track generally has a length of between about 32 feet and 50 feet. In some cases, the tracks are formed by cutting sheets of plywood into one foot wide strips and then attaching lath strips to guide the toy race cars. The race tracks have also been made from metallic and plastic materials, which enhance the durability of the race track.
One end of the race track is supported in an elevated position such that the race track slopes downwardly from a start end to a finish end so that gravity causes the race cars to move along the track. A starting gate located at the start end of the race track is moveable between a closed position for maintaining the race cars at the start end of the race track and an open position for allowing the race cars to travel toward the finish end of the race track. An electronic timer may also be located at the finish end of the race track to accurately determine the winner of a particular race.